State GOP moves HQ to Minneapolis DFL stronghold

The Republican Party of Minnesota is moving its headquarters from the shadow of the Capitol to the Seward neighborhood in southeast Minneapolis.

Party leaders said the move will result in significant rent savings and gets the party closer to what they describe as everyday Minnesotans.

“We are moving out from inside the political beltway in St. Paul to be closer to the people,” said Republican Party Chairman Keith Downey. “It is a visible and tangible sign that the Republican Party will be focused on regular Minnesotans and immersed in their circumstances.”

The new offices are located at 2200 East Franklin in the Seward neighborhood of Minneapolis, in the same building as a Pizza Luce. The building is near the Phillips and Cedar Riverside neighborhoods and close to the University of Minnesota and Augsburg College.

The move will be completed by the end of January.

“This is a great move for us on many levels, including the chance to connect with our new neighbors and show that we are on their side and our ideas work for them,” Downey said.

The new location puts the party headquarters in the heart of a longtime DFL stronghold. State Rep. Karen Clark, DFL-Minneapolis, represents the area. In the last election, Clark defeated her GOP opponent with 90 percent of the vote.

The move also comes after the party narrowly averted being evicted from its longtime headquarters in April of 2012. The party had fallen $111,000 behind in rent on its 7,340-square-foot office and call center near the Capitol. The party successfully renegotiated its rent and remained in its space.